A time that I stood idly by was when I was ten years old. I had just gotten a new puppy that year for Christmas. I named her Roxy; she had big paws, floppy ears, and eyes that were golden brown that would melt your heart. To me she was the cutest puppy in the world. I’d been with her since birth. My cousin’s lab had puppies and I was there when the mother was giving birth. She was the smallest one in the litter.

My dad worked in construction at the time so he was a pretty big guy, and muscular. He had dark brown hair and deep brown eyes that looked black. He’d always wear a torn up shirt and shorts at home. When friends would come over, I would be embarrassed that they saw what he wore. He was that kind of guy that you didn’t want to get him mad because he had a very bad temper. He would beat my dog once a week in front of my little sister and me. Immediately I began to sob uncontrollably. All I could say was “Stop hitting my dog!” he did not relent. Afterward, id question myself, “why would he do this.” Looking at my dog like I was talking to her; looking for an answer to my questions.
I trained that dog when I was ten years old to walk next to me and don’t go a foot in front of me. But I could never train her to not pee in the house. I think she could have something wrong with her bladder that caused her to do this. She was a natural born protector with my family. She would growl at people she didn’t know and bark at them too and she was about three months old when she started to do this. I love it when dogs do that because that’s how dogs should be. One time when I was at the dog park Roxy jumped into my arms when she was playing with another dog and that is probably the most heart touching moments I’ve had with her. I treated her like she was my baby; I just wish my dad would do the same. I wish I had spoken up and not let him do that.
I felt completely helpless when my dad would do that. To not make her life absolute living hell, I’d take her for walks down to the dog park and play with others and have fun. Roxy’s knew when my dad would walk by her because she would cower. You have no idea when you’re ten years old and seeing your dog get beat in front of your eyes. The look on her face would break your heart into little tiny pieces. I’m only ten, not even four and a half feet tall yet. I have deep blue eyes with yellow mixed into my eyes, long golden brown, wavy hair not that big a terrifying to make him stop. I used to wear boot cut jeans and a random shirt that was clean, looking back on that I don’t know how my mother would let me leave the house looking the way I did.
To this day, I am still wishing I had spoken up and done something. I tried everything that I could to make him stop. I have even hit him before on the back to make him stop. How many “daddy’s little girls” have done that? Honestly not that many.